First Time Boondocking Plan - Tech Question

RLGetman wrote:
Wow! This posting has been great! I did find out that I have an 80amp intelligent converter, PD9180. I do not have the Charge Wizard, but I just found a new one on eBay for $16 + shipping = $23.89. It will be here next week. Any other do's & don'ts on booddocking, battery monitoring & charging, etc... Thanks again everyone!

That is a sweet converter you have there! And with the Wizard you'll be ready to some serious damage (figuratively, that is. The PDs are also very forgiving.) That said, your cabling is likely going to be your limiting factor. No worries, though. You're still in better shape than most. But when you want to do some tinkering, a cable upgrade will generally shorten your genny time by a fair amount.

However now you have a new problem to consider. If your batteries have sat a low SOC (State Of Charge) for very long, you could have hardened sulfate on the plates, which will diminish their capacity. If that's the case, then removing it requires a new skill set.

Yes... boondocking is meant to be fun. But it's no fun when your furnace shuts down at 3 a.m. on a cold night either.

Your charge wizard will do an OK job of reverting sulfate back to solution. Just do a force boost or two on 'em.

Now...

do you own a glass float hydrometer? If not, while you're in the mood to drop coin on ebay, get a Freas. They're not that bad. I just saw a "Buy it Now" for like 15 bucks. The Freas are the best of their kind. Keep the upper portion of the float dry when testing so it doesn't stick to the sides.

When the batteries are full, the SG (Specific Gravity) should be at least 1.265 at 77F. If much lower, then you could have diminished capacity. Without correcting that, you would want to run the genny and that PD each night before bed... if you need the furnace.